A NASA-supported small satellite launched in October as a technology demonstration has lost contact with its owner and operator, Starfish Space. NASA and Starfish have concluded the spacecraft is not recoverable due to an issue preventing communications between the SmallSat and ground operators.

Led by Starfish Space, NASA’s Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1. Starfish Space established initial communications with the company’s Otter spacecraft, but lost contact during commissioning. Spacecraft commissioning is the initial mission phase after launch to turn on systems, calibrate instruments, and more to prepare for regular operations. Starfish has not been able to reestablish two-way communication.

Subsequent troubleshooting and analysis by both NASA and Starfish revealed an issue with the spacecraft’s fault protection system that is keeping the spacecraft’s radio erroneously turned off. The fault protection system is the onboard software for detecting and responding to problems.

The technology demonstration was designed to navigate toward and inspect inoperable space objects of U.S. origin in low Earth orbit, while demonstrating advanced propulsion, guidance, navigation, and control technologies, as well as an innovative articulating robotic boom. The SSPICY mission was the first launch and deployment of Starfish’s Otter spacecraft and the first integration of the company’s navigation and propulsion technologies into a single spacecraft system.

“Commercial capabilities like Starfish’s are critical for a competitive U.S. space economy and strong American leadership in low Earth orbit,” said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Technology demonstrations allow us to quickly test new systems, learn from their performance, and iterate so that we are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with every mission. NASA will continue taking on bold challenges in close collaboration with our industry partners.”

The objective of SSPICY is to accelerate industry technologies for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing while providing NASA valuable data on the characteristics of orbital debris objects. During the company’s future missions with the Otter spacecraft, Starfish intends to continue gathering information for NASA on the performance of those technologies, along with orbital debris inspection data in low Earth orbit.

The SSPICY mission is funded by the Advanced Research and Technology Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate. NASA’s support of the mission is managed by the Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Source: NASA